Family
by fluorescent-adolescent13
Summary: It was supposed to be their first family trip. Stef had told her, they were a family. Everything was supposed to go to plan. Callie didn't think anything would ever be the same. Was a one-shot. (Changed bio)
1. Chapter 1

Callie looked down to the bag on her bed, clutching the newly bought bathing suit that Lena and Stef had gifted to her this morning. They had known that she didn't have one without her even having to mention it to them. It wasn't exactly top of her list of things to bring home from juvie when she had arrived at the house all those months ago and it was only a few pieces of fabric, but it meant a lot that they had gone to the trouble of getting it for her.

"Are you gonna stand there all night or are you gonna finish packing...?" Mariana asked from across the room causing Callie's head to shoot round, her sister's voice tearing her away from her thoughts.

"Um, yeah, sorry," Callie replied offhandedly, laughing slightly as he looked at the amount of clothing her sister was attempting to fit into her suitcase...or rather, three individual suitcases. It was obviously way too much for the short camping trip they were going on but Callie chose not to question it - or the electronic appliances that she was squeezing in whenever there was a tiny space free. Putting the bikini down and placing more folded clothes on top of it, she attempted to change the subject quickly. "So, you guys go to the lake every year or...?"

"Every single year," Mariana laughed, wincing slightly at her own words. "I mean it was fun when we were kids but now the lack of a decent cell phone signal puts a downer on things, not to mention the state my hair gets into whenever Jesus and Brandon bully me into going swimming."

"C'mon I'm sure it's not that bad."

"It's best just to go along with it and keep Moms happy. Besides, I'm sure you've had better or at least you will. Robert's probably already planning _family _getaways with you and Jill and your new sister," Mariana remarked and continued to pack her own bag, ignoring the other girl's reaction to her comment. By the sounds of things she was always going to be bitter about Callie having another family, and the thought of her possibly leaving them. Without even realising it Callie found her hand back clutching the newest addition to her wardrobe. _Family. _

* * *

There was nothing that Stef wanted more than to just come home and relax, maybe run a bath and get some sleep before the long drive tomorrow. After all, it's not like she would be getting the best sleep lying in a tent on the forest floor. She loved her job but it really took it out of her sometimes. Crime waits for no family vacation. Surprisingly, the house was uncharacteristically quiet. She had expected some last minute chaos to be waiting for her when she got home but it sounded like everyone was asleep. Stef glanced down to her watch as she began to loosen it. _2:37am._ Maybe it was a little later than she had expected. Stepping quietly into the kitchen, the last thing that the blonde woman expected to see was her daughter hunched over a mug and her iPhone.

"Can't sleep?" Stef asked quietly, wrapping her arms around Callie and resting her head on the shoulder of the younger girl. "I swear you are getting more and more talented every day - you took those?"

"Yeah," the brunette replied as Stef nodded in the direction of her cell phone, continuing to scroll through her camera roll. Dozens of photographs zoomed by and as Callie looked though them all, occasionally stopping to edit one or two slightly while Stef could only stare over her shoulder in awe at the patterns and colours that her daughter had captured.

"What one's your favourite?" she asked and Callie scrolled back to almost the beginning, lifting her hand out of the way to reveal an older picture of Jude. "I like that one too."

Callie hummed slightly in agreement, taking a final look at the photograph on the screen before locking her phone. Stef gave her arms a comforting rub before picking up a cup herself, walking over to the stove and pouring water from the already boiled kettle into it. She knew something wasn't quite right with the brunette but she wasn't going to push it straight away, she knew Callie better than to do that.

"Love -"

"Do you remember when you decided that you wanted to adopt us - you asked Mariana and Jesus and Brandon if it was okay and the next day you took us out shopping for clothes and you even bought us ice cream after it even though Lena was making dinner at home and specifically told you not to get us any ice cream," Callie cut her off, rambling on as Stef chuckled slightly at the memory. That was the day that she found out that Callie loved vanilla ice cream and that Jude would eat pretty much any flavour that you put down in front of him. "I took that photo the day after, just before we walked into school. Jude was so proud that he had new clothes and that for once the kids in his class wouldn't make fun of him or the way he looked or the fact that his foster parents wouldn't even wash his clothes."

"Callie, love, we would do anything for you guys. We love you so much," Stef sighed, reaching across the table to grasp the younger girl's hand in her own.

"I know," she replied with a small smile. "I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. We've never been on a family vacation before."

"It's hardly the Bahamas, or Disneyland - we're just spending a few days at the lake," Stef laughed again. "And trust me, once the mosquitos start biting and you need the bathroom...yeah, you'll want to come home."

"It just means a lot Stef. I mean, our parents couldn't really afford to take us many places and most of our foster homes either left us with weird relatives or at home by ourselves," Callie said, attempting to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat quicker than she could get her words out.

Stef looked at the brunette girl in front of her. She had never really thought of things from Callie's perspective before. Buying those things for Jude wasn't a huge gesture in her eyes, it wasn't something discussed or stressed over - they loved the kids and they felt obliged to provide their family with whatever they needed. She knew that her daughter didn't have the smoothest journey through childhood and in the last few years in particular, the young girl before her had gone through more than even any adult should. Callie never really showed her true feelings or spilled what was troubling her, but without thinking she had revealed all.

"Is this about the bathing suit?" Stef asked, her arm suddenly wrapped around Callie who shrugged her shoulders slightly in response. "I suppose if you don't like it I could just take it back...Or if you want to stay here with a weird relative that's fine - does Mike count or do we need to branch out?"

"No!" Callie replied quickly but soon started laughing when she realised that Stef was just teasing. "Okay, maybe it was the bathing suit."

"Love, you don't have to worry about things like that with us. It's what family do."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I guess we should both get to bed, we have a busy day ahead of us," the younger girl said with a smile, starting to realise how tired she really was. _Family, _Callie thought. "Love you Mom."

"I love you too Cal."

**Okay, so this is my first fanfiction for The Fosters. Originally it was supposed to be the opening chapter of a story that I had planned out where the Fosters go on a family vacation and things take a turn for the worse, but I figured that it worked better as a one-shot. So yeah, feel free to tell me how you feel - constructive criticism welcome - and maybe if you'd be interested in the story that I mentioned? Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the great response! I decided to continue the story. **

Though the chat that she'd had with Stef comforted her significantly the previous night, Callie woke up with a slightly uneasy feeling in her stomach just like the one she started the previous day with. As per usual she woke up before Mariana, and it was no surprise to her that most of her clothes were still lying messily on the floor or that she was still sprawled out on the bed. Looking at the time on her phone, Callie realised that they didn't have much time until they all had to be ready. Stef probably decided to let her have a little more time to rest after the events of the night before. Grabbing some clothes as quietly as possible, the brunette decided to get changed in the bathroom. She knew the reaction that her sister would have if she realised how early she was up - needless to say, she didn't want to be in the room when that happened.

"Hey sweets you're up early, how're you feeling this morning?" the blonde woman asked as Callie made her way out into the landing, hugging her jeans and shirt close to her chest with one arm and closing the door quietly behind her with the other hand. "I take it Mariana is still asleep."

Laughing slightly she replied. "I'm okay and yeah she is but I'm sorry, I'm not awakening the beast."

"Okay, I guess I'll take on that challenge. Why don't you go down and get some breakfast - we have a busy couple of days on our hands."

"Okay," Callie smiled, heading for the bathroom before turning back quickly. "Stef?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for last night."

She walked into the bathroom and tried to get ready as quickly as possible but something caught her attention. Pulling her t-shirt over her head, Callie caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The scars on her back had faded over time but they were still extremely noticeable. She didn't care much about them, not really, she was just worried about what Stef and Lena would say. Sure Mariana had probably seen them before - after all the did get changed in the same room. But she had never said anything. It was probably just out of awkwardness and not knowing what to say and Callie was okay with that because she understood how Mariana must be feeling. The only person who had ever properly seen them in their glory, she laughed at her own thought and use of that word, was Jude but only because he was the one that had to clean her up time and time again.

Maybe she had so many because she never let Jude get hurt. Out of all the beatings that she had gotten in previous foster homes, she never once let them lay a hand on Jude when she was around - which was more or less always. She had promised herself that she'd look after him a long time ago. Of course, this promise had left it mark.

Callie snapped out of her train of thought as she heard knocking at the door.

"C'mon Cal you've been in there forever, do you want me to stink you out of the campsite?" Jesus called through the door. "Because if you don't let me have a shower I-"

Callie swung the door open quickly, effectively cutting Jesus' sentence off. "There, geez."

"Thank you!" Jesus huffed, pushing past his sister and closing the door behind him.

Pulling on her denim shirt, Callie made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where only Brandon and Stef were sitting. Brandon with his head buried deep in a bowl of cheerios and Stef reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee held lazily in the other hand.

"Where is everyone?" the brunette asked, grabbing a bowl for herself and sitting down.

"Last I checked Jesus was attempting to batter the door down while you were getting changed," Stef said with a smirk. "Mariana is trying her best to fit all of her clothes into her bag, though God knows why she needs so much stuff, and your brother is helping Lena pack up the car. Which reminds me, do you wanna ride shotgun on the way down? It'll just be me and you because we have to use that car for storage."

Callie nodded with a mouth full of cereal, she was kind of looking forward to riding with Jude since it was their first family vacation.

"Can I bribe you with a cup of coffee?" at this Callie perked up slightly. "Doesn't even have to be decaf..."

"Deal," Callie smiled, swallowing a mouthful of cheerios. "So Brandon, any last minute words of advice? Y'know since you're practically a Foster's family vacation veteran."

"Well..." he began but was cut of by the shrill message tone of his phone. "Sorry Cal, that's Lou. She stopped by to say goodbye."

"Oh yeah, it's cool. Go see her," Callie smiled, waving her hand slightly in the direction of the door as he got up.

She watched Brandon exit the kitchen and sighed, though quickly regained her composure when she realised that Stef was still in the room. She didn't feel anything for Brandon anymore, she couldn't. He had Lou now anyways. Burying her head in her cereal just like her foster brother had done with his bowl only minutes earlier, Callie waited for her the rest of the family to appear around the breakfast table.

The last thing she wanted to see was Lou and Brandon making out on the porch. Especially not straight after she had eaten. The visibly uncomfortable expressions that appeared on both her and Brandon's faces when she walked outside, arms full of camping materials, was enough to make any outsider question their relationship if they didn't already know the situation.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur of tents and tantrums, though Stef could credit that purely to Mariana and her lack of acceptance over the fact that she couldn't bring every electronic device that she owned to the middle of nowhere. Before the Fosters knew it they were on the road - Callie and Stef in one very packed car and Lena, Jesus, Brandon, Jude and Mariana in another.

It wasn't a terribly long journey but the lack of conversation made it feel like hours. They had stopped briefly at a truck stop for a bathroom break and a drink. Stef wasn't sure where her wife and other kids were - probably more than half way there by now - but it felt like she was slowly losing her mind with boredom. She couldn't get more than a few words out of Callie even when they had gotten back into the car.

"You know, this ride would be a whole lot quicker if we at least tried to act like we knew each other," Stef sighed, glancing round to the brunette sitting in the passenger seat who gave her a confused look in response. "I mean, some conversation would be appreciated."

"Sorry," Callie said quietly. The blonde woman picked up on this. She didn't mean to sound so annoyed. She had barely slept and after spending pretty much all week cruising around the city on her ass, the last thing she felt like doing was driving another car.

"Tell me how your week has been Love," Stef replied quickly in a softer voice, flashing her daughter a smile.

"It was okay."

"Just okay?" she laughed. "C'mon, teenagers are supposed to have exciting lives. Who's dating who, who's twerking where...gimme something."

"First of all, please never talk to me about twerking again." Callie laughed and Stef couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's reaction. It wasn't often that she got a glimpse of a more relaxed Callie. This trip was exactly what they needed. "It's really nice when you get out of the city."

"Yeah, it's really peaceful and some of the views are crazy," Stef replied, looking out of the window. "You should try and get a photograph."

Nodding slightly, Callie adjusted her seatbelt and reached back into the seats behind her to try and retrieve her phone from her backpack.

"Can you find it Love?" Stef said and turned quickly to try and help her.

"I've almost got it."

"Okay," she replied but the only sight she was welcomed with when she looked back to the road was that of another car heading straight towards her. The last thing she heard was Callie screaming and time stopped.


	3. Chapter 3

Lena hadn't heard from her wife or oldest daughter since they had texted to say that they were stopping for a break. There was a lot of protestation over the fact that Lena said no to stopping too. She had figured that she would just give Callie and Stef some space after the blonde had told her of the events of the previous night. Jude, much to her surprise, wasn't in the slightest hesitant about the trip. As much as Lena appreciated and somewhat envied the strong sibling bond that was shared between the pair, it was nice to see Jude come out of his shell when his sister wasn't around.

In her head she knew that logically after stopping they would be slightly behind the rest of her family but Lena still couldn't help but be worried about her girls.

"Mama?" she heard a voice from behind her. "Where's mom and Callie."

"They're on their way," she replied to Mariana, trying to change the subject as soon as possible. "Why don't we get lunch started and surprise them?"

Her youngest daughter nodded in response but she could tell from the way that her mom was speaking that something wasn't right. She chose not to question it but it didn't take long before she began to get worried too.

"Why don't you go check if your-" Lena tried to say but was cut off by the ringing of her phone. "I'll be over in a minute."

"What happened to the no phones rule?" the young Latina tried her luck, but she soon regretted her cheek when her mom shot her a warning look.

"Hey, where are you?" she answered, assuming that it was her wife from the caller ID. She was sadly mistaken. "Yes, this is Lena."

She barely registered her children's questioning voices in the background when she dropped her phone to the ground. Frozen to the spot, a familiar feeling rose in her chest.

* * *

All that Stef could remember was the spinning. The trees blurred together in a mess of green and it looking like the clear blue sky had become the ground. The piercing light of the sun attacked her eyes as they opened and for a moment the white light that surrounded her made her thought that she had died and gone to Heaven. Was this what dying felt like? If the throbbing pain in her head and the aching in her back was anything to go by then she didn't want to reach the other side any time soon.

They were upside down, she had worked that much out. It didn't feel like anything was broken which was a relief but the sudden realisation that she wasn't alone in the car when it crashed hit her as hard as the other vehicle had.

"Callie!" she cried out, forcing the air bag out of her face so that she could look round to her daughter. Callie was unconscious, some of her hair was stuck to the blood that was dripping down from the side of her face and nose. She didn't stir from Stef's shouting which worried the blonde even more than she already was. The police officer inside of her started to show as Stef caught her breath and tried to make a plan. Unbuckling her seatbelt, which was significantly easier than they make it out in the movies, she fell to the roof of the car. Raising a hand to Callie's cheek, she tapped it slightly and brushed some blood away from her eye. "Callie, I need you to wake up for me."

It wasn't long until she realised that it wasn't doing much good. Searching quickly in the space around her, Stef grabbed Callie's phone which was below her head. So much for that photograph. She wasn't entirely sure where the other car was but right now she didn't want to know. Using all of her power to force the driver's door open, Stef tried to climb out of the wreckage - placing Callie's iPhone carefully in her pocket. They had rolled far from the road, she almost couldn't believe that she was still standing. As she retrieved the phone from her pocket Stef prayed that she would have a signal. They weren't all that far from the city.

"Hello 911, what's your emergency?"

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she could help but let a few tears fall. The reality of the situation was slowly starting to sink in. "A crash...We've been in a crash and we're at the bottom of this hill at the side of the road and my daughter, my daughter is-"

"Ma'am, you have to calm down. Where are you?"

"Um," Stef could barely think. "The last I remember we were on route 15 coming towards Mission Trails. Please find us, my daughter is unconscious."

"Okay, stay calm. Don't move your daughter. We're going to use the GPS on your phone to locate you, can you make your way to the road so the emergency services can spot you?"

"Yes, yes I can do that," Stef replied trying to steady her breathing. Before she could say anything else, Stef heard a call from the car. Running over the leaves and twigs that the car had flattened on its way down, the blonde crouched down so that she could see her daughter.

"Callie!"

"Mom!" the brunette cried. "Mom, I can't feel my legs."

"It's going to be okay, the ambulance is on it's way. We're going to be okay," she promised, reaching her hand over to grasp Callie's in her own.

"I'm scared."

"I know," Stef comforted her. "I'm scared too."

She had never seen Callie so vulnerable. The younger girl looked smaller than ever, tears streaming from her eyes and mixing in with the blood already in her face and hair. Stef hated to leave her like this but she didn't have a choice.

"I'll be back."

"Mom please don't go!" Callie whimpered in response as the blonde slowly released her hand.

"I have to Cal, I promise I'll come back."

"I love you."

"I love you too," Stef replied, forcing herself to leave her daughter in the car. She had to make her way back up to the main road. It didn't look like far but a pain in her fingers started to arise as the shock of the situation began to wear off. It distracted her and looking down, Stef was pretty sure that she had broken a few. As she made it to the top she swore that she could hear sirens. They were going to be alright, they had to be alright.

**Thank you guys so much for reading! I was really surprised by the response. I'm playing this by ear because I hadn't entirely thought this out, I intended for it to be a one-shot and didn't put much thought into the rest. So please review and tell me what you want to see. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

It was all her fault. Her daughter was lying all alone in a hospital bed, surrounded by strangers and probably just as scared as Stef was. They had mentioned something about about calling a partner - "someone that we should call" - and somehow in her dazed and confused state the blonde had managed to give the nurses Lena's number. She just wanted her wife.

The ride to the hospital had been terrifying. Watching her daughter lie bloodied and bruised on a stretcher with paramedics leaning over her. She had refused to get treatment before Callie was out of the car but it had taken forever. They had thought that they would have to get her cut out of the vehicle but it never happened. It was all still a blur to Stef.

Though the hectic environment of the ER had changed somewhat suddenly to the calm of a waiting room, Stef barely even noticed. Her mind was with Callie. Hoping and praying that everything was going to be okay. Even when one of the nurses had politely placed a clipboard with forms next to her and a pen beneath her bandaged hand, her train of thought barely faltered.

It was all her fault.

* * *

Lena could barely keep herself composed in the car in front of her kids nevermind in the hospital itself. She had left Brandon in charge as soon as they had walked through the door.

"Take everyone to the cafeteria," she had said, giving her son $20 with a shaking hand. "Pizza, ice cream...I don't care, just keep everyone calm. Please."

"But Mom..." he had protested.

"Brandon, I don't know how bad this is. I'll keep you in the loop, I'll let you know as soon as I know what's happening but right now I really need you to step up."

Lena knew exactly how they would be acting right now. Panicking. But the only thing she let herself be worried about was the condition of her daughter and her wife. She couldn't risk losing Stef again. Barely a year had passed since she had been shot and answering a phone call like that was something that she never wanted to have to do again. Lena couldn't even bare to think about the thoughts running through her kids heads. They had almost lost their mom once and that was already one time too many.

Lena almost felt guilty for leaving them downstairs. She hadn't even walked them to the cafeteria, she had just left them at the front doors. She didn't know what she was going to be welcomed with when she finally saw her wife and her daughter.

* * *

Brandon knew that he had to be a man. He knew that he had to put everyone else before himself and take care of his siblings. It was just proving more and more difficult with every passing moment. But he had to step up.

"Jude, you should try and eat something," he nudged his little brother softly but the younger boy took no notice. Brandon felt like a hypocrite. He had been pushing around his own somewhat congealed hospital mac 'n' cheese for the past 20 minutes. He couldn't eat. Not when his mom and Callie were up there. Not when he didn't know what was going on. Not when they could be dead. He didn't want to think about that.

"They're going to be okay Judicorn," Mariana sighed, taking Jude's hand from the opposite side of their table of four. "There's probably just rules about family or something. Maybe they're actually okay but they just have to fill out forms or something...y'know, insurance."

"But what if they're not okay," Jude shot back, pulling his hand out of her grasp. "You were allowed to wait when Mom got shot. They let you know everything that was happening. What if something's really really wrong."

"I'll eat that if you don't want it," Jesus said with a mouthful of his own pasta, trying to break the tension from across the table.

"What the hell Jesus?"

"What?"

"How can you even say that-" Mariana spat but Brandon was barely even listening. He could feel himself turning pale, the bile rising in his throat, his heart aching.

"I have to go," he said suddenly.

"Brandon?"

"Just stay here. Mariana's in charge," he mumbled, pushing his chair out from underneath him and running out of the cafeteria.

* * *

The sight of her bruised and bandaged wife sitting on an uncomfortable hospital chair was almost a relief. It was better than a hospital bed.

"Stef," Lena called, walking faster and embracing her wife in a hug but the other woman was apprehensive.

"Lena, I am so sorry," Stef replied, grasping Lena's shirt tightly with her unbandaged hand. "It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault," she moved backwards to look he wife in the eyes. "This is not your fault."

"I left her alone. All alone in the woods and she was so scared Lena, she was so scared," Stef cried into the brunette's shoulder. "I was so scared."

"It's going to be okay."

"She said she couldn't feel her legs,"

Before Lena could try and reply, though her face felt like it had permanently adopted its current shocked expression, she spotted a man in a white coat making his way towards them.

"Mrs Adams Foster...?" he said, watching as Lena went from comforting her wife to standing completely composed in front of him in a matter of seconds.

"My daughter?"

"Callie is stable," he replied quickly as tears of relief threatened to fall from both of the woman's eyes. "But if you would like to take a seat."

"What's wrong?"

"In the crash Callie sustained many injuries in the crash. She has a laceration on her forehead which we have stitched up and a fractured wrist. While we were treating her, her lung collapsed due to a fractured rib, though we have managed to stabilize her. It's nothing short of a miracle that Mrs Adams Foster made it out with little more than a few broken fingers and some bruised ribs," the doctor continued. "There's no brain damage but the scans have revealed that Callie has fractured her lower back and there is a fragment of bone pressing on the spinal cord."

"Okay...okay," Lena said with a sharp intake of breath. "How bad is it? Will she be able to walk again."

"I can't guarantee anything right now, we have to wait until we bring her round. If there is risk of more permanent damage we will have to take her for surgery. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

"This is all my fault," Stef cried as sobs wracked her body, holding Lena tightly.

* * *

Brandon was out of breath from running up so many stairs. It had taken him a while to convince a nurse to tell him where he would find his parents. Turning a corner sharply, the curly brown hair of one of his mothers came into sight.

_They had to be okay._

Suddenly as he saw his other mom, Brandon considered his worst fears to be confirmed.

_Callie was dead_.

**Sorry for taking so long with this update. It's exam season and it's getting pretty crazy but I promise I'll get some longer chapters in soon. I have my biology exam tomorrow and it's my birthday - life sucks. Thanks for all the feedback that you have been giving me. I'm totally open to constructive criticism and you're welcome to message me privately with ideas as well as reviewing. Thanks! **


	5. Chapter 5

_Callie was dead._

"Mom...?" he asked apprehensively, fearing the reply that he was going to get - fearing that his worst nightmare was coming true. Brandon felt the words catching in his throat but forced them out. "Mom what's going on?"

"Brandon?" Stef replied confused, pulling her head up from its place on Lena's shoulder and wiping her eyes and cheeks with a sleeve. Before she could say anything else the teenager threw himself into her arms, his tear soaked face dampening her shirt. "Hey, love...it's okay."

"Is she gone...am I too late, is she gone?" Brandon cried out but both of his moms could barely make out what he was saying until he raised his head. "Is Callie dead?"

Both women moved sharply towards their son as they realised the thoughts that must have been going through his head, Stef wrapping her arms tighter around him and Lena rubbing his back comfortingly. She didn't think that he would leave his siblings. "No, B, no. Callie is okay. Callie is doing just fine. We're about to go see her." Stef hated lying. She knew that Callie would pull through, she was a fighter, but it still felt like she was lying. They didn't know how they would find her in her hospital bed but the blonde, at least, was preparing herself for the worst.

"Can I come?"

"Y'know, I don't think that's such a good idea right now B," Lena replied but Brandon seemed to ignore her words completely, looking at his other mom for an answer.

"Your mom is right. We haven't even seen her yet ourselves and there's still a lot that we need to figure out, discuss..." the blonde trailed off, using the same sleeve as before to wipe the teenager's face. She didn't even want to think about the state she was in, how bad she must look. Brandon was seventeen years old but the sight would never be easy. Stef had hated her kids seeing her when she was shot but somehow this felt ten times worse. Sighing, Stef took Brandon's hand and led him over to a row of chairs. "Callie's not really that okay."

"Listen," Lena continued for her wife, sitting on the opposite side of Brandon. "Callie is stable. That's the important thing. But she's in a bad way and might need surgery. She has cuts and bruises and a fractured wrist but we have every faith that she's going to pull through, she's in the best possible hands. So you have to be strong and keep reassuring the others, okay?"

"I just want to see her, just for a second," Brandon persisted but he knew that his efforts were pointless. As soon as Stef shook her head, he let his own fall into his hands momentarily. It was only for a second. A second to get his thoughts together. "Okay. I'm just gonna go back down and get everyone. We should at least be up here instead of down in that cafeteria when nobody is even hungry. I just want to be here."

"We can allow that," Stef smiled slightly and nodded. "Just don't let them get their hopes up about seeing Callie okay? And don't talk about the final details until your momma and I come back out to explain. We won't be long," Stef continued and Brandon gave her a look of understanding. He stood up and began to walk away before turning sharply, licking his lips as he thought about his choice of words.

"We won't be long," he replied, mimicking his mother's words from moments earlier.

They watched him turn a corner before Lena moved over and took the seat that their teenager had been sitting in moments earlier.

"When did our boy become so grown up?" the brunette sighed, taking Stef's hand. "It seems like just yesterday you were enrolling him at Anchor Beach and now look at us."

They had barely noticed that Callie's doctor was there through that whole ordeal. "Your son and daughter must be pretty close huh? My kids are a little like that - at each others throats one minute and ready to take a bullet for the other the next," he smiled slightly. "So, if you want to come see Callie?"

The bruise below the blonde's hairline contrasted sharply with her skin, the dark purple mark standing out against the milky white. To Lena it seemed as though her wife was getting paler with every step that they took along the hospital's neverending corridor. As they reached the door of the teenager's room, the doctor looked back hesitantly as if to warn the women with his eyes.

Stef didn't even know what she had expected to see when they walked in. It was bad, but in her mind she had almost thought it would be worse - an abundance of wires and bloody sheets, her daughter barely hanging on. Instead they were welcomed with the sight of the young brunette lying on her back, a large orange brace around her head like a halo and a tube at her mouth. It was somewhat peaceful.

There was a dark blue brace around her wrist. Stef rubbed the material lightly with the thumb of her unbandaged hand, staring intently at her daughter - willing her to move, willing her to sit up and say that she was okay and everything was okay. This was supposed to be their first family vacation. She should have just kept her eyes on the road.

Stef's eyes travelled over Callie's body, taking in all of her injuries. The grazes on her face and the slowly forming bruise littered across her. The blonde ignored her aches and pains completely. It didn't matter that every inhale stung her chest or that her head was throbbing. She deserved it after what she had done.

"So what happens now, what do we do, what are we going to do?" Lena stumbled through her words, barely tearing her eyes away her daughter and down towards the man's name tag. She couldn't believe that she didn't even know his name. "Doctor...?"

"Knight, Doctor Knight," he replied, picking up the chart from the end of Callie's bed and flipping through the pages before he spoke again. "We're going to try and bring her round soon and remove that tube that's aiding her breathing, we'll see what happens - whether or not there's a lot of nerve damage."

"And then what?" Stef said suddenly.

"She may need surgery but we won't know a lot until Callie wakes up."

* * *

"How are we just supposed to sit here and wait?" Jesus huffed, running a hand through his hair. "We need to know what's happening."

"Jesus we're all as frustrated and worried as you are okay?" Mariana replied. They had been waiting for over 20 minutes for news but to them it had felt like a lifetime. It wasn't until their parents finally appeared that the boy's uncontrollable pacing stopped. The other's stood immediately, the same questioning, panicked expressions on their faces.

"Mom you're okay!" Mariana cried, instantly wrapping her arms around the older woman. Brandon had told them that she was okay but she needed to see her with her own eyes for it to sink in. After her mom had been shot, and then their other mom had lost the baby, they didn't want to see the inside of a hospital for a long time. But now Callie? Callie was the strongest person that Mariana knew but even she didn't know what was going to happen with her sister.

"Careful, careful, I'm still a little sore," the blonde winced and the teenager loosened her grip, muttering quick apologies though her mom assured her that it was okay.

"How is Callie? Where is she?" Jude said softly, his eyebrows coming together in a confused frown. He had barely spoken since his outburst in the cafeteria. "What's wrong? Can I see her?"

"Listen guys," Stef sighed. She put an arm around the younger boy comfortingly, looking him in the eyes as she spoke. She wanted her words to come across as reassuringly as possible though she couldn't help but think back to the tubes and braces. "Callie is doing okay. She's in pretty bad shape. The doctors are going to do some tests when she wakes up. She might need surgery but the doctors are working as hard as they can and Callie is a fighter."

"What's wrong with her?" Mariana asked.

Lena thought for a second, unsure of what to say to the teenager. "Well, there's a tiny piece of bone that's pressing against the nerves in her back."

"Her back? So what, is she going to walk again?"

"We just don't know."

**It has been so long since my last update, so I apologise. Exams were crazy but now it's summer so I'm going to be writing a lot to get me through. **

**As always I want to know what you want to see from me, if you have any ideas or things that you want to happen and I'll do my best. I was thinking in the next chapter I should bring Callie's mom in while Callie is still unconcious, or maybe during surgery. Tell me if it's crappy or a good idea!**


	6. Chapter 6

It had taken a lot of convincing on Lena's part to get Stef to go home with the other kids. She could barely get the blonde to tear her eyes away from their daughter when they had gotten back to her hospital room nevermind leave her side for even a moment. Mike had appeared shortly after they had spoken to the anxious teens that had been waiting patiently for news. Lena knew that she could trust her wife's ex-husband with her children at a time like this but after all that had happened today she also knew that the kids needed at least one of their moms to provide comfort and support. As much as the brunette woman wanted to go home, take her family in her arms and tell them that it was all going to be okay - she knew that she couldn't, she knew that she had to be strong. If not for them then at least for Callie.

Lena was struggling to keep her eyes open. The bags slowly forming underneath her eyes were nothing, she thought, nothing compared to the damage that had been caused today. She reached into the back pocket of her jeans with her free hand, the other firmly grasping one of Callie's, and checked the time absentmindedly. 10:38pm. It had been a long day. She had been at the hospital for over 10 hours but it felt like an eternity. She hadn't heard the sweet voice of her daughter in over 12 and right now that was all that she wanted at this point. If she could just open her eyes, say anything, let Lena know that she was okay.

With the exception of the few nurses coming and going over the last few hours, there was barely any movement in the room at all. If it weren't for the shallow breathing of the teenager and the constant beeping of the machines beside them, anyone would think the worst. Callie hadn't changed at all since she had gotten here, the large orange brace still remained firmly in place as well as the tube in her throat.

Lena realised that she still had her phone in her hand, staring at the now black screen as she had been thinking. She had promised Stef that she would phone her when there was news of Callie going into surgery but she didn't want to worry the blonde anymore than she already was. The doctor had visited the room briefly but the words barely registered in her head as he spoke, flowing in one ear and out the other. Callie was set for surgery at 11. 11:00. Something about it being more urgent, but she wouldn't let Stef know that part. The woman looked at her phone again, seeing that it was now 10:45pm. She wanted her wife to rest but she knew that not telling her would do more harm than good. She knew that Stef would kill to be sitting where she was right now, next to her daughter and waiting anxiously for every minute that she was on the operating table, asking for news at any available opportunity.

Tapping on her wife's number, Lena brought the phone to her ear and waiting for a response on the other end.

"Mom?"

"Jesus?"

"Yeah, hey, sorry. Mom's in the shower, she's been in there for a while but I don't really want to disturb her or anything," her son's voice rambled.

She smiled slightly at his voice, realising how much she missed her family at a moment like this. "It's okay honey. How is everyone?"

There was long pause before the teen spoke again. "We're doing okay. We're all sleeping downstairs, just like when mom y'know..."

"That's good." Lena replied quickly and quietly, swallowing the slowly forming lump in her throat as she spoke.

"Jude and Mariana fell asleep pretty quickly but Brandon's still up. Mike decided to stay over, he didn't think that we should be alone when mom's like this."

"When mom's like what?"

"...She's just taking it hard that's all." Jesus spoke again after another pause. "I think she's getting out of the shower, I'll go get her. We're all coming to the hospital tomorrow."

Lena waiting patiently as she heard the phone being passed from hand to hand, stealing a glance at her daughter who was still lying in the exact same position as before - not that she had expected anything different.

"Hey," her wife's voice spoke, almost desperately, down the line. "What's happening?"

"They're going to take her for surgery soon but I'm going to be here the whole time and I'll let you know if anything...I'll see you tomorrow morning," Lena took a slow deep breath.

"I think I should come to the hospital tonight I mean I really don't feel comfortable just sitting here and waiting when I should be there. I can't eat, I can't sleep."

"There's nothing you can do here. You need to rest. Callie needs you to be strong for her," she struggled to get the words out. "We all need to be strong."

Stef was the same. Unsure of what to say next. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Tell her that I love her too."

"Okay."

"Bye Love."

Lena didn't even realise how much her hands were shaking until she tried to hang up the phone. She had to be strong. The minutes had passed too quickly, much to her dismay, but she knew that Callie had to go. It just felt like she wasn't going to get her daughter back and Lena hated it.

"We love you Callie," Lena whispered into the teenagers ear as she was rolled out of the room. Wrapping her arms tightly around her own body as she watched the doctors take her daughter away, she knew that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Mom you should probably get some rest, we'll all be up in the morning to go the hospital okay?" Brandon reasoned to his mother. Stef was leaning against the kitchen counter, her hair still damp from the shower, with a coffee cup with her unbroken fingers. Brandon hadn't had a chance to look at his mother properly before now - the grazes on her face, the way that her arm rested lightly across her chest as if to protect her bruised ribcage. She was staring impassively through the window and out into the garden, barely even acknowledging his words. Brandon wasn't really even sure what else to say, walking up to his mother and gently placing his arms around her torso. "It's going to be okay."

She smiled and looked round to him. "We should get some rest." Stef mimicked his words and placed her almost full cup in the sink. "How is everyone, are they all asleep, what's happening?"

"I think everyone is pretty much passed out. Dad put a movie on but nobody was really watching it," he replied. "We're just worried. About Callie...about you."

"I'm fine Love."

"I know, we can't help it though mom."

"I love you B, you know that right?" he smiled at her words and she followed Brandon back into the makeshift bedroom that they had created when they had arrived back home. She wasn't sure whose idea it had been but there was something extremely comforting in knowing that all of her babies, and Mike, were in the one place.

It was going to be a long night. The couch wasn't the most comfortable to sleep on but she preferred it to her bed. Not tonight, at least. Though her mind was full and racing, she couldn't help but feel herself slowly drifting off. Her eyelids felt heavier with each breath that she took and without even realising it she was gone.

_The woods were colder than they had been before. The glowing sun of the summer had long disappeared and the shadows were almost consuming them. She looked back to the car, back to her daughter._

_"You left me," Callie shouted, spitting her words out at the blonde. The teen wasn't strapped tightly into the car any longer, instead walking slowly towards the blonde - the steady trickle of blood that had been falling down her face was almost frozen in time. "What sort of mother are you?"_

_Stef couldn't utter a single word. It was almost as if her mouth had been sewn tightly shut._

_"You should have kept your eyes on the road," the brunette spat again, the unsettling sound of the leaves crunching beneath her feet growing louder with every step that she took. "Why did you leave me?"_

_Before she could take another step, she disappeared into thin air. Stef reached her hand out, attempting to grab hold of anything that was left but it was just her and the trees left standing._

_"Callie?" she called desperately before scrunching her eyes closed. It was all a dream, her daughter was okay. It had to be a dream. As she open her eyes, the unnerving sight of an operating room welcomed her eyes. "Callie?"_

_"CLEAR!" a voice cried from behind her and she turned sharply. The paddles, the scrubs, the doctors. Callie was going to surgery. It couldn't be her on the operating table. "Time of death..."_

_Stef awoke with a start. The sight was burned into the back of her eyelids. She knew that it was just a dream, a nightmare, but it had felt so real. The picture of the operating table. The picture of her daughter lying dead. Would she really feel the way she had in her dreams when she woke up?_

**Summer is upon us. Thanks for the views and reviews, I really appreciate it. Please tell me what you want to see or if you have any ideas, I'm a little stuck recently so it would help a lot.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Mom?" Stef heard a voice whisper in her left ear and a hand gently shaking her, moving her arm back and forth in an attempt to wake her. "Mom, wake up."

When she heard Jude speak for the second time, Stef opened her eyes immediately - her worried gaze searching for a problem. "What's wrong Love?"

"You were having a nightmare again and I didn't want anyone else to wake up," he continued, falling back from his kneeling position and crossing his legs next to the couch. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about your old mom," she smiled. Truthfully it felt like she hadn't slept for a week. She ached all over, craving another shower like the one she had the previous night. She had thought that it would help her sleep, make her feel better. Judging by the way she felt, she was obviously wrong.

"Okay," he replied, reluctantly accepting her answer.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked her son apologetically and he nodded his head slightly.

"I couldn't really sleep anyway," he admitted in a whisper. "Do you need anything? I can go get anything you want."

"You don't have to do that Jude," Stef smiled slightly and ran her hand through his hair. "I'm the one that's supposed to be looking after you."

Jude smiled back at her and opened his mouth to speak again but hesitated. "I'm worried about Callie."

"Me too Bud, but you sister is a fighter. She'll be okay," Stef said and Jude nodded again. She looked at the watch that was wrapped loosely around her wrist before rubbing her eyes with her uninjured hand. "It's almost 6. How about we grab an early breakfast?"

Jude stood up at her words, carefully making sure that they wouldn't disturb the others who were passed out in a mess of blankets and pillows. Mariana and Jesus were lying close to one another, just like when they were kids Stef thought. Jesus was resting on his back, his arms stretched above his head while his sister was curled up in a ball and practically stuck to his hip. Brandon was on his side, snoring softly through his opened mouth, while his father lay slouched on an armchair next to him with one arm supporting his head. It was almost as if he was keeping watch over all of them though knowing Mike the placement was intentional.

Stef tiptoed quietly behind him, sighing slightly as her bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor. It was exactly the feeling that she needed right now. It was always the small things that made the world of a difference. The night had been too warm for her liking and after her nightmares Stef wasn't surprised that strands of her hair were plastered to her forehead and the back of her neck. At least being up this early would mean that she would be able to spend that little bit longer in the shower.

Looking at her youngest son walk in front of her, Stef realised that he may have had the same night that she had. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up past his elbows and the once soft grey material was stuck to his back. At least she was with him now. Stef hadn't properly had a chance to speak to him between all the chaos that yesterday had brought to them.

"You're drenched Love," she put her arm around him as they walked. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," he brushed her words off. "It was just really warm last night I guess."

"At least you can go for a shower first, and you won't have to fight for it," Stef laughed at her own words, separating as they entered the kitchen.

She watched Jude carefully as he opened the refrigerator, bringing out a carton of milk and a grabbing a bowl from the shelve after closing the door. Stef was a step ahead of him though, reaching for the box of cereal that she knew he was heading for next. Lifting a bowl for herself, she sat down across from him - flipping the switch of the coffee maker as she passed.

"So," she spoke suddenly. Jude barely looked up from his bowl as he began to pour the contents of the box out. Stef did the same when he was finished. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he replied confused and handed her the milk. "You just asked me that a few minutes ago."

"I know, I just mean," she chose her words carefully. "Talk to me. What are you thinking?"

Jude thought for a moment, hesitating between mouthfuls. The only sound that filled the kitchen was the slow crunching of the cereal in each of their mouths. Stef was sorry that she had asked.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did it even happen?" Jude asked, lifting his spoon again.

"We were driving and it was nice, Callie was going to take some photographs because it was _so_ nice," Stef could barely bring herself to look up at him. "You know, it isn't often that I get to see Callie that happy. She was trying to look for her phone in the back and I looked away for like a second."

"And now my sister is lying in a hospital bed," he replied somewhat bitterly, silence filling the room. "I think I'm going to go get some of Callie's stuff ready for her. Books and whatever."

"Hold on Jude we need to talk about this," Stef replied, attempting to stop him from moving as he stood up. He ignored her, pretending that he hadn't even heard her say anything. "Jude."

Placing his bowl in the sink, he looked at her again. "Last night all I could think about was how Callie was there and you were here, and how lucky I am that I didn't lose another mother in a car crash. But now all I can think about is how I could lose my sister in one."

* * *

_ The light surrounding her was almost blinding. It was almost clinical. White from the floor to ceiling, from wall to wall. Though Callie wasn't exactly sure that there was a ceiling - or walls for that matter. It was just, nothingness._

___I'm dead, she instinctively thought, this is it._

___"You're not dead," a familiar voice spoke from behind her, thought she was sure that she hadn't said anything out loud._

___Turning to follow the voice, her own caught in her throat - a large lump settling high up. "Mom?" The woman smiled softly and Callie couldn't help but run towards her, engulfing her in a tight hug. "Is it really you?"_

___"Yeah baby, it's me." Callie let go._

___"What is this? Why are you here?" the teenager rambled on. "Can you stay with me? I could come with you?"_

___"You always asked so many questions when you were little," she spoke. "I guess not much has changed."_

___Callie smiled slightly, ducking her head down. "Sorry."_

___"Don't be sorry."_

___"This is just a dream isn't it?" she was almost scared to ask but her mother nodded. "I don't want to go."_

___"I'm not sure Jude would be happy if I kept you here to myself."_

___Jude, Callie thought. She needed Jude. "I miss you."_

___"I miss you too baby, but I'm always with you," Colleen spoke softly, taking her daughter's hand in her own and placing it on her chest. "Always."_

"Mom," Callie said quietly but it came out as more of a mumble. The hoarseness of her voice made it more difficult to understand her though Lena's head shot up immediately at the noise.

"Hey, Callie," Lena's words came out almost as quietly as the teenager's had. "Everything's okay."

"Where's Jude," she spoke again. Lena could almost laugh at her words. Her daughter was in a life threatening accident, had major surgery and had just regained consciousness, and the first thing that she asks has nothing to do with any other it. She had to admire Callie for it though, putting others before herself at every given moment. Lena moved her chair closer to the girl, running her fingers through her hair comfortingly.

"He's at home. Everyone is coming to visit you soon, if you're up for it?"

"Of course." Callie smiled before the realisation hit her. "Where is Stef? Is she okay?"

"Stef is fine, don't worry," she replied calmly. "She's got a few cuts and bruises, some broken fingers and sore ribs but other than that she is doing just fine. They let her go home last night. Well, I sent her home. It was a long day for all of us."

"Thank you for staying with me."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Lena spoke again. "I should probably go get a nurse now that you're awake Cal."

"Wait, just for a few minutes," Callie said suddenly. "I need to know what's happening from you before anyone else. I need you to tell me that everything is going to be okay before I start panicking about the fact that I haven't been able to feel my legs since I woke up."

The older woman was almost speechless at her daughter's outburst. "Callie..."

"Please Lena," she asked again desperately.

"It's going to be okay," Lena replied, placing a kiss on the younger girl's forehead. "I have to go get someone."

Callie didn't say anything else. She was in too much pain to do much other than stare at the ceiling. She couldn't remember much, everything between the ambulance arriving and waking up just now was a blur. Her dream however was still vivid in her memory. She wanted to keep it there for as long as she could.

Only a few moments passed before she heard Lena's footsteps return but they weren't followed by anyone else's. Callie almost felt a pang of jealousy at the sound. What if she could never do that again?

"The doctor is going to come in soon. He has to do some tests, to access the damage," she wished that she could have chosen better words to use but Callie displayed no emotion at the ones she spoken. Not that Lena had expected anything different. "They said we could wait until Mom comes by, do it all together, or we can just do it now."

"I want to do it before everyone comes," Callie spoke quickly, barely allowing Lena time to finish her sentence. "I can't sit and wait. Then if it's not good then I need time to think."

"Honey, you can't think like that," she replied, sitting back down next to the bed.

"What if this is it? What if I can never walk again?"

"Callie, we have to stay positive." Lena said, grasping her daughter's hand in her own.

"No Lena," she pulled her hand away. "I'm the one that has to stay positive. I'm the on that has to spend the rest of her in a wheelchair. There is no we. I don't...You don't have to keep me"

"Keep you?" the older woman asked confused. "Callie, you are my daughter. You're a part of this family whether you like it or not."

Callie took a deep breath before speaking again. "I guess it's a good thing that I'm not adopted at times like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I was adopted then you would have to pay the medical bills." she replied offhandedly. "You would be surprised how big a deal that is to some people."

Lena sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I don't know why you think you are such a burden to us Callie Jacob. I love you, we all love you...very much. Nothing could change that. You could tell us that you wanted to join the circus, pierce your tongue - granted we would not be happy about that and neither are happening for the record - and this accident is no different. It doesn't matter if you stand up tomorrow and do a jig or if you can never even walk again. Callie, we love you so, so much."

"I love you too."

"Good," Lena said softly, placing her hand back over her daughter's. "Because you are never getting rid of us."

**Longest chapter yet. That was a tricky one. I hope everyone liked it. Please review and let me know what you're thinking and if there's anything you're wanting to see happen.**


	8. Chapter 8

She couldn't help but feel anxious. She could feel the sense of worry that had been haunting her dreams arise back into her mind, a tightness engulfing her chest and squeezing her lungs. It felt as though she was drowning on dry land. She didn't want to let it show, not even for a second, but it was more evident in her facial expression that she had intended for it to be.

"Stef, I just got a call" a voice hesitated but brought her out of her daze. "You okay? You're looking kind of pale."

"I'm fine," she replied quickly. Her hand was wrapped loosely around a cup of coffee, she had lost count of how many she had already drank, though this cup was turning slowly colder just like many of the others that she had made earlier in the morning. The slight dampness of her hair had caused a wet patch to form on her chest just below her t-shirt, causing the material to cling to her chest, but it didn't make a difference to her. In fact, she barely even noticed it at all.

"It was from the station. Apparently the other driver that was involved in the accident was way over the limit. He tried to tell some sob story about a broken marriage to excuse the fact that he hammered at 12pm but they booked him. DUI," Mike smiled slightly, attempting to rub her harm comforting as he moved closer to her and continued to speak. "He admitted that he drove away after clipping you guys but claimed he didn't see you crash. It won't hold up though so don't worry about it."

"Bastard," Stef replied bluntly, taking another sip of her coffee and letting it sit in her mouth for a second. Mike could help but laugh slightly at the way that she spoke but he quickly nodded in agreement.

"We've got him now." he sighed, bumping his shoulder lightly against hers.

"So, it wasn't just me?" she asked quietly, tearing her eyes away from the window. She wasn't exactly sure how long she had been looking out at Frankie's tree, she had lost track of time completely.

He shook his head swiftly in response and they both stood in silence for a few moments before he opened his mouth to say something again. "We should probably get going, Lena's going to need you there with her sooner rather than later. I think that everyone's pretty much ready. Do you want to take a car? You could always just ask B to take you?"

Stef thought for a second before replying. "I'll drive. If you can take everyone else, I'll take Jude. We have to talk, things didn't go so well the last time we did so I have to clear some stuff up..." she trailed off.

"No worries," he nodded again. "I'll go round them up."

She smiled at him gratefully as he walked away. Things had never been easy for Mike but now more than ever she was just grateful that he was there for her, for the kids. Though the sun was streaming brightly through the window and her exchange with Mike had gone more than well, Stef couldn't stop the feeling of nausea that was slowly growing in her stomach with each passing moment.

"Mom, why can't I come in the car with you?" Mariana asked sheepishly and the blonde turned quickly to face her, ignoring the feeling that was radiating in her abdomen. The teenager's appearance almost shocked her - she was always so well done up regardless of the situation but her hair was thrown up high into a messy pony, her face free of it's usual, though natural looking, makeup. Stef was almost sure that her entire outfit of sweats and an oversized t-shirt belonged to her twin but she didn't want to say anything. She felt bad for leaving her like this. Stef knew that her youngest daughter was craving attention, craving comfort. She needed her mom.

"I'm sorry Love," she replied softly and apologetically though it made no difference. Mariana's shoulder's slumped down in disappointment and she turned her back to her mother, ignoring her completely as she spoke again. "Me and you tonight, Love?"

Stef wasn't surprised that she didn't get a response from her daughter. Letting out a slow, deep breath, she rubbed her forehead, placing her now empty mum in the sink. Ideally she would have liked to refill it again, at least before she was stuck with only the finest watery, diluted drink that the hospital could offer her. Stef almost wished that her wife's nagging was filling her ears at that moment, warnings about caffeine consumption that she could write a novel from. She missed her wife's nagging. She missed her wife all together.

**"****Ready?" she heard Mike's voice instead as he popped his head around the corner of the wall and into the kitchen. She had wasted time on pointless thought yet again when she should have been getting ready. It dawned on her as she looked at her ex-husband - freshly shaved with a jacket in hand with she was moping around in a pair of socks with her wet hair tangled and framing her pale face.**

"I just need to find some shoes and a sweater or something," she smiled softly and reassuringly, pulling her hair back into a tight bun with the hair tie that she had left on her wrist since she had gotten home. The tightness had left a neat red indent around her wrist.

"The kids brought stuff down for you when they were getting ready, they're trying to be as helpful as possible. They made a care package for Callie and everything last night."

"I should have thought of that. She needs clothes and toiletries...Why wasn't I more prepared, I should have thought to do this. I'm her mother," Stef sighed and mentally hit herself though she would have liked to have hit her head hard against the kitchen counter in that moment.

She followed closely behind him as he began to walk, seeing that her children were standing waiting just as he had said before. Brandon and Jesus were standing tall, putting on a strong front. Stef gratefully took the hoodie that they had chosen from her and slipped on a pair of old worn sneakers. Mariana and Jude were sitting together on the couch in silence, slouching with there eyes focused low in an attempt not to make eye contact.

"Okay. Brandon, Jesus, Mariana - you guys come in my car," Jude's head shot up as he heard Mike's words but before he could open his mouth to argue, Stef cut in.

"And Jude's coming with me," Stef spoke firmly, making it clear to him that there was no way around this. She walked forwards to sit next him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders though he tried to shrug it off. It didn't go unnoticed by the others but they thought better than to say anything. "If you don't want to come with me that's totally fine, but it's either that or you don't get to go see Callie at all. Your choice Love."

Jude looked round to her, challenging his mother with his eyes though she didn't let her stern gaze waver for even a second. Sighing loudly, Jude admitted defeat without words - pushing past his siblings and parent to the front door before disappearing from sight. They heard the slam of the car door.

"To be honest, out of everyone Jude wasn't really the one that I expected to be so difficult," Stef said offhandedly though as she was shot various looks from her family she spoke again. "I'm just kidding guys. Brandon, I need to use your car. Kind of hand an accident that's made the other one undriveable so if you don't mind..."

Brandon looked at his mother as she stretched out her hand, completely ignoring her attempt at a joke. He wasn't entirely sure if she was being terribly sarcastic or just overcompensating. "Yeah, sure," he reached into his back pocket after replying and tossed the set of keys over to the blonde.

"Thanks Love," she smile and stood up, following everyone as they began to move outside. Stef came to a halt completely as she heard the quiet click of the door as Mike closed and locked it. She couldn't help but stand and stare at the parked Mini in the drive.

"You okay Foster?" Mike asked quietly so that Stef would be the only one to hear his words.

"Aren't you getting tired of asking me that yet?" she quipped and he shrugged his shoulders in response. If she was being honest, which she wasn't, she was definitely not okay. She was very far from okay but at times like this she just had to bit the bullet. One day she was going to have to get back in the driver's seat and today was as good a day as any. Gripping the handle tightly with her good hand, she hesitated slightly before yanking the door open and sliding down into the seat. Jude's head was turned in the opposite direction, he was adamant that he wasn't going to give her any of his attention - even if that meant staring straight at a bush until they were on their way to the hospital. Stef knew that it was going to be struggle to get him to open back up to her and listen but she had to do it now or things would only get worse.

Turning the key in the ignition, the familiar buzz of the engine filled the car with noise, eating away the silence that had grown between the two Adams-Fosters. It had always been a comforting sound to her. Rationally Stef knew that nothing was going to happen. The likelihood of them having another accident was slim, surely. Everything was going to be perfectly fine as long as she stayed calm and drove carefully, just like she always had. It was silly, Stef thought. She just had to bite the bullet.

Silence had enveloped the car again, filling it for the majority of the ride. They were sticking close to Mike's car while the blonde thought carefully about what to say to her son, about what were the most appropriate words to use.

"I know that you're upset," she started and the younger boy simply scoffed at her words. "Just listen. I know that you are upset, I am upset, we are all extremely upset. Upset doesn't even cover it."

"How about mad?"

"Mad?" she questioned though he only nodded in response, his gaze still firmly fixed out the window.

Jude thought for a moment and before Stef could speak again he turned to face her for the first time during their journey. "I'm pretty mad. I'm pretty mad that you could have killed my sister. I'm pretty mad that you could have killed yourself. I'm pretty mad that this is just another reason for Callie's adoption to be delayed - if you even want it to happen anymore. I'm trying hard not to be mad at _you_, I really am, but every time I look at you I can only think of Callie and how she's lying in the hospital bed."

"Jude..."

"No, you're a cop. You should be one of the best drivers on the road but you looked away for a second," he took a deep breath. "It only ever takes a second for us."

Before she spoke again, Stef decided to pull over momentarily in order to give the younger boy her full attention. "I know it is my fault. I know that. I looked away to help Callie for a second and a drunk driver swerved into the side of the car and we rolled and we rolled down into the forest. I know that I shouldn't have looked away, but it isn't _just _my fault. Maybe things would be different if that guy hadn't been drinking so early in morning, maybe it wouldn't have but right now we both have to be strong and put it all behind us. Your sister needs us. Both of us. So can you stop being mad at me for a little while because I don't think I can get through today if that's all you're gonna give me. I know fine well that this is my fault."

Stef turned back towards the steering wheel and pulled away from the sidewalk. It wasn't silent for long, Jude placing his hand over the blonde's when it was by her side. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Love."

"You didn't say anything about a drunk driver before."

"I didn't know about it before," Stef replied.

* * *

Callie couldn't help but stare up at the ceiling. It was too much effort to do anything else, it was too much effort to do anything at all. Her brown hair had been surrounding her head like a halo ever since she had woken up and it had been annoying her since then but she hadn't said anything. She didn't want to give Lena an excuse to start up another conversation which would ultimately end in them talking about the surgery and the fact that she may never walk again, though Lena avoided those precise words. So instead she chose to count the small dots that littered the tiles of the ceiling. She had lost count more times that she cared to admit and it was driving her crazy but she didn't want to talk anymore. She was done talking. Callie knew that the older woman would try and push her to talk again though. She just wanted a minute alone with her thoughts and Callie knew that there was only so many times that Lena could read the same trashy celebrity magazine over and over again before she would admit defeat and go get coffee or stretch her legs or _something._

"Hey honey, I'm just going to jump downstairs before everyone gets here. Is that okay?" Lena said suddenly, almost seeking her approval.

"Yeah sure whatever," Callie replied, moving her head down slightly in an attempt to look at the older woman at the bottom of her bed. Her voice was still raspy, it almost didn't sound like her at all. "You don't have to ask."

"I know, I just...nevermind," she smiled, rubbing Callie's leg comfortingly though she quickly stopped when she realised what she had done. "Sorry Love, are you sure that you're okay with visitors?"

"I'm totally fine," the teenager assured her, ignoring what had just happened.

"I think I'm just going to stay for a bit," Lena spoke again, rubbing her hands together slightly before pushing a loose curl back from her eyes. Sitting down again, she moved the worn out magazine over. Only God could know how long it had been in the hospital, it was well and truly on it's road out. Lena grasped her daughter's hand in her own and brought it to her lips, giving the back of it a light kiss. "The doctor sounded optimistic."

"Yeah I guess," if Callie had the strength to shrug she would have, instead resorting to biting her lip and rolling her eyes slightly.

"You had a little feeling, things can only get better."

"Or things could stay exactly the way that they are," Callie interjected. "Either way, I've faced worse. I'm fine."

"You don't always have to be fine, Cal," Lena replied softly but before she could speak again they both heard a light knock at the door of the room. Clearing her throat slightly before calling, she never let go of the younger girl's hand. "Come in."

Callie couldn't help but let out a happy sigh when she saw the faces of her family. One by one they slid through the half opened door. Jude rushed forwards, throwing his arms over her body though he quickly let go when she let out a grown. Wincing painfully and screwing her eyes shut as it subsided, the younger boy couldn't help but half shout as many apologies at his sister as he could manage. Lena couldn't help but gasp at the sight.

"Callie are you okay?" she said quickly, leaning over her face to look at her while Jude still apologized profusely.

"I'm fine, stop fussing," Callie let out a small laugh as she caught her breath again and Lena's worried hovering face disappeared from her line of sight. "Just maybe go easy on the bear hugs next time Bud."

The corner of Jude's mouth twitched upwards slightly at her words.

"We're all really happy that you're okay," Mariana spoke suddenly, her watery eyes threatening to spill over. "Please just don't scare me like that okay, I've just gotten used to having a sister I don't want to lose her."

"Well, I think you're stuck with me for a little while yet," Mariana almost laughed at her words in relief, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Can we trust you when your driver's license comes in? I mean if I'm stealing rides places then y'know..." Jesus joked and Callie let out another laugh, but Brandon slapped his chest with the back of his hand after he spoke.

"Dude..." he replied frowning.

"What?" Jesus raised his hands innocently, smiling at his sister in the bed.

"Stop, don't make me laugh. It hurts," the teenager smirked before her youngest brother spoke again.

"We brought you some stuff from home in case you're gonna be here for a while," Jude trailed off, pulling his backpack off his shoulder and balancing it on the side of her bed as he sifted through the contents. "Some of your favourite books..."

"I put in some comfortable clothes, those hospital gowns are not flattering on anyone," Mariana shook her head seriously.

"You can borrow my iPod for as long as you want it, I know I would need some decent music to get me through being in here," Brandon said quietly, his back was still pressed firmly against the wall with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"And when you get sick of all the boring stuff then don't worry, I stuck some good stuff on there," Jesus smirked and the older boy looked at him questioningly though he never said anything in response.

"Thanks guys, seriously. God knows I'm going to need to pass the time anyway I can in here," Callie smiled again before the realisation hit her. "Wait, where's Stef?"

Nobody spoke, looking at each other as they attempted to come up with a suitable answer.

"Yeah, where is she?" Lena pressed, standing up from her seat.

Mike uncrossed his own arms and rubbed his chin before he spoke. "She just needed a minute before she came up, maybe I should go get her?"

"No, it's fine," Lena shook her head before looking to Callie for approval just as she had before. "I'll go and see if she's okay, if you guys are okay staying here?"

Callie decided to wait until the brunette had left the room completely before she spoke again. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?" Mariana asked confused.

"With Stef, why didn't she come up with you guys?"

"She just wanted a minute," Mike replied calmly, sitting in the now vacant seat that her mother had occupied moments earlier.

"Seriously?" Callie pushed, looking at her little brother for the answers that she knew he would give her.

He hesitated before speaking, Mike willing him with his eyes not to say anything though he simply ignored the older man. "She...she felt guilty about what happened. I kind of gave her a hard time but I apologized and we spoke and I figured that everything was okay but I guess she just needed a minute," Jude replied, mimicking Mike's words from before.

"Guilty?" Callie furrowed her eyebrows, her confusion evident as thoughts filled her already full mind. "But..."

"It's just shock, it'll get easier for her." Mike said in an attempt to comfort the younger girl.

"It wasn't her fault, I would never blame her for this. She know that I would never blame her for this right?" Callie's words were beginning to get faster and faster the more that she spoke. "Right?"

"Right?"

"I would never-"

"She knows that."

"We just have to give her time."

"She just needs a minute."

_**Longest chapter yet. It was kind of a boring one but don't worry things are going to get a little more exciting soon. You know the drill, please review and tell me what you think and what you want to see - I depend on you.**_


	9. Chapter 9

Callie wasn't entirely sure how long she was supposed to give her foster mom exactly. She wasn't sure how long 'a minute' was supposed to be. It had been way more than a minute. Despite Mariana's forced attempt at making conversation to fill the silent spaces - which mainly consisted of her complaining about going back to school after the summer and who was going out with who - there was a certain awkwardness that consumed the room. With the occasional comment from Jesus, Callie almost felt like everything was normal. She almost felt like everything was going to be okay. Almost.

Jude hadn't taken his eyes off of her from the minute that he had set foot through the door. He gave her uninjured hand a small squeeze every few minutes, as if to check that she was still right next to him. As if he thought that his sister was going to slip right through his fingers. Every second time or so that he did this, Callie brought his hand up casually to her lips - placing a light reassuring kiss on his knuckles. Her entire body ached with each small movement that she made but Callie forced herself to keep her composure around her little brother. She could see the constant shadow of worry that concealed his bright eyes. Callie had to stay strong, if not for herself then for Jude.

Brandon stood stiffly behind the younger boy. One hand rested protectively on the back of his chair while the other rested firmly against his chin. Even from her position on the bed, Callie could see his bitten skin. She wasn't sure how he was feeling - she had seen him nervous before, anxious even, going into auditions and performances but she knew that he had never been one to bite his nails. Like Jude however, he had barely taken his eyes off of her. Callie hated it. It was as if everyone was waiting - watching with eager eyes - for her walls to come crashing down. Like they were waiting for her to admit some sort of weakness as if her injuries weren't already entirely evident. Every time that the conversation drifted back to the subject of the accident itself or 'how she was feeling', the brunette changed the subject almost immediately. She wanted to maintain the normalcy of family amongst the chaos.

The moments passed slowly. Occasionally Callie glanced to her other side, though she couldn't turn her neck completely for fear of an overwhelming pain striking her in front of everyone, to the oldest man in the room. Mike's head rested lazily on top of his first, his eyelids threatening dangerous to fall down despite his best effort to stay engaged in all of the conversation - though it was proving to be more one sided thanks to Mariana. He was doing better than Callie. The thought of her missing mother seeped back into her mind frequently as it wandered, causing her to open her mouth for one of only a handful of times in the past 25 minutes.

"So, do you think that they'll be back soon or...?" her hoarse voice spoke, trailing off. It cut Mariana off mid sentence but the latina didn't mind - she was running out of things to talk about anyway. It was a relief for the boys, a rest for their ears, though they were all too well accustomed to it by now.

"They shouldn't be too much longer," Mike replied quickly. Callie's voice, however quiet, had brought him out of his half asleep state. She felt a pang of guilt when she realised this, the dark circles under his eyes had spoken for themselves.

"I could go look for them?" Jesus asked hopefully. The teenagers were all beginning to become anxious at the disappearance of both mothers. Jesus knew that his offer would be ignored, he didn't expect to have been taken up on it. It wasn't entirely evident, but he wasn't crazy about leaving her side - regardless of how many other people were with her.

"I wish that I could get up and go look for them," Callie spoke again, her voice barely more than the whisper it had been a minute earlier. There was feeling there, in her legs, though it was faint. Almost unnoticeable, but there was definitely something there. She could feel the dip of the bed as Mariana had sat down, a slight brush at her heels. She could feel the cold air hit the soles of her then uncovered feet when the door had opened earlier. She just didn't want to get her hopes up. God knows she had been let down too much in her lifetime.

Callie knew that Lena would have scolded her for saying something like that if she had been there, but she wasn't. Before anyone could say anything else in reply, their eyes darted to the door of her hospital room. If it had been any other moment they probably wouldn't have heard the small creek of the door but Callie words had created a slightly awkward gap in the flow of things. The noise echoed throughout the room, catching their attention immediately. Callie's breath hitched in her throat as she attempted to push her neck upwards, however sore it was, trying to see beyond her covered feet but she was quickly disappointed. The base of her skull bounced against the thin pillow and she winced slightly.

"Mr Foster?" the doctor asked quietly, his eyes scanning the room. The disappointment was evident in the eyes of the other teenagers, they had looked as hopefully to the door as their sister had. "Can I have a word?"

"Yeah, of course," Mike replied, pushing himself to his feet and nodding to Brandon as if to silently pass over the responsibility of looking after everyone to him. Not that they needed much looking after in a hospital. The oldest boy nodded slightly back at his father, his lips coming together to form a thin, tight smile. "I'll be right back."

They all watched him leave into the hallway before they began to fidget awkwardly once more. Mariana began her mindless chatter while Brandon took his father's place in the chair to Callie's left hand side. As he sat down, he dragged the chair slightly across the floor - making an uncomfortable screech in the process, though nobody took notice - finally resting closer to the bed. He placed his hand on top of the sheets before inching it forwards slightly, much like he done with the chair moments earlier, and resting it against the brace on her wrist.

He hadn't expected them to, but Brandon was thankful that nobody was watching him while he moved. He had began to drone out his sister's persistent chatter, a skill that he had acquired over the years, and began to look around the room more carefully. Jesus was looking through the bags that they had brought Callie from home, observing one of her books as if it possessed some rare magical quality and he was the first man ever to take note. It was perhaps, Brandon thought, one of the first times that he had seen his brother optionally pick up a book that wasn't a comic or filled with computer game nonsense. His other brother rested his head next to Callie's hip on the mattress, while her uninjured hand stroked his messy brown hair mindlessly. She was anything but engaged. He could practically see the thoughts racing through her mind when he looked into her eyes.

Brandon hesitated slightly before lacing his fingers through Callie's. The corner of her lips tugged upwards into a small smile as she was brought back to reality.

Inhaling deeply, she began to concentrate on what her sister was saying but all that Callie could think about while she watched Mariana's lips move was how she could go so long speaking without taking a single breath. This caused the smirk that had been resting on her face to grow slightly. Something about a party that had just happened or was about to happen, someone cheating on someone or something or another. It was exhausting to listen to nevermind live through. She barely had the energy to listen to the younger girl babble on.

Brandon began to rub comforting, light circles on top of her bruised arms. The slowly forming colours contrasting sharply against her pale skin - an array of purples and yellows and reds. For the first time since she had been brought into the hospital, Callie felt completely calm.

That's a lie, the brunette thought. Her mind drifted back to when she had been lying in the ER. The commotion around her would have ordinarily been overwhelming for someone in her situation but she unconsciously dulled it out. She should have been panicking. She should have completely lost it - cried, shouted, something. She watched calmly as the doctors had fussed around her, as they had poked and prodded and urged her to say something to them. Urged her to give them some indication that she could understand everything that was going on around her. Callie could remember asking for her Mom briefly but she couldn't remember what they had said to her after than, instead all she could remember was the cool mask that had been placed over her face. She could remember the sense of calmness that had surrounded her. It had felt like she was floating, like her whole body was numb. That was when everything went black and she had woken up in this room. She felt trapped.

"So when you get out of here, we have to make the most of the rest of the summer together," Mariana commented, placing her hand briefly on top of her sister's leg before it quickly retreated and she realised what she had done - murmuring a quiet, quick apology. Brandon's eyebrows furrowed down as he listened to her words, the soothing circles stopped.

"Somehow I doubt that this is going to be the summer that everyone had planned," the older boy practically spat out. "It's not like we can just put a bandaid over it and head back down to the beach."

"I...I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay," Callie reassured her, shooting a warning glance to the boy next to her and bringing her hand away from him to rest on top of her stomach. "I'm well aware of how this is going to be Brandon, I don't need you to tell me, but right now this is my problem. None of you have to deal with it so you may as well enjoy yourselves while you can."

"No way," Jesus spoke suddenly. "We're all in this together Cal."

She wanted to argue back but said nothing in reply to her brother. Mariana whispered another apology and Callie smiled in return while Brandon kept his head down and leaned back against his seat, visibly forcing himself to bite his tongue.

The teenagers barely noticed it when Mike slipped suddenly back into the room. He muttered something about everything being okay and how Lena was talking to the social worker right now. It was only the flash of blonde that followed closely behind him that had caught their attention. The flickering of pages slowed to a halt and Jude's head shot up as he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey guys."

"Mom?" they said in unison. Stef stood sheepishly behind them all, attempting to avoid their gazes for fear of seeing the growing sadness and disappointment in their eyes. She could feel their eyes burning holes into her skin while she stood in silence, looking to Mike for reassurance.

"I think we need to give your mom and Callie a minute, guys," Mike spoke suddenly, instinctively saying what his ex wife was thinking and attempting to usher all four of them out into the corridor.

Another minute, Callie thought. The last time that she had given Stef a minute, she left her for over an hour. She was over giving out any more minutes. Silence filled the room briefly before Stef opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to me."

"Of course I do. Love," Stef replied with a sigh, chancing the nickname that she used frequently. She knew that Callie wouldn't have any problem with it but she couldn't help the hesitation. The blonde moved quickly after she spoke, sliding into the seat that her older son had been sitting on only moments previously. "It's all my fault."

Callie's face morphed into an expression of confusion as she searched for the appropriate words to say. Shaking her head slightly as she opened her mouth, she could see that her mother was trying not to make eye contact with her again. "I don't get it."

"The crash...everything," Stef's head shot upwards for a brief moment to look at the teenager before her gaze shot back down to her lap. "The station said that it wasn't my fault. I mean, the other driver had been drinking or something but I just can't get it out of my head. And now I'm sitting here and you're stuck lying there and every time I look at you all I can think about is how I was the one driving."

"You don't have to apologize," Callie repeated herself, stopping the blonde before she could attempt to splutter out anything else. She reached over as far as she could before grasping the older woman's hand as best she could with her brace. "I am mad though."

"...I get it." Stef's lips pursed together and she swallowed tightly, waiting for her daughter to continue.

"I'm mad," she took a deep breath. "I'm mad because I needed my mom. All I needed today was you and I had to wait around because you were no where to be found. I'm mad because I had to give you a stupid minute."

Stef knew that if her wife were here she would have clicked her tongue in disapproval because of the younger girl's choice of words, but the blonde couldn't care less. She let out a deep breath and her lips curled slightly to form a small smile, standing up to place a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"You needed your mom." Step repeated.

"I needed my mom."

**Sorry for the shorter chapter. School's a bitch but I'm working on it. What did everyone think of the finale?**


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as the car had been parked in the drive and unloaded of passengers, Brandon thought that any bystander would surely be surprised to hear that they were in fact a family considering the lack of interaction between the teenagers. He stood at the front of the group, Jude at the back, slipping the key inside the lock and turning it smoothly. The door swung open slowly and they all moved inside. It was unusually quiet. At least it felt that way. Jesus immediately made his way into the living room and turned on the TV without a word, lifting up a controller and letting out a sigh. Mariana stayed close by him, sitting next to him as he lowered himself onto the sofa. Jude had almost ran upstairs, nudging Brandon - who, for the whole time these events had transpired, had been standing in the exact same spot in the hall - as he passed him.

He looked round to the twins, waiting for some acknowledgement but nothing came. Throwing his key in the basket, he almost forgot to close the front door. It was only the small breeze that had ruffled his hair slightly that had reminded him.

Brandon followed his youngest brother's footsteps - though not as quickly. Each step creaked with his weight, painfully aiding the silence in its awkwardness. Jude's room door was wide open. Brandon took a large step through the door, checking behind the door before turning back. It was empty. He had expected him to be curled up in bed or pretending to be engrossed in something to get his mind off the situation at the hospital.

He had almost missed it as he had walked by. He was heading for his room, knowing that the only thing that would make him feel any better was the feeling of the white and black keys below his fingertips. But something had captured his attention first. He knew that it could have been Callie, though instinctively it was the first thing had came to mind and his heart almost skipped a beat. A small bump had formed underneath Callie's duvet, conveniently shaped Jude sized. Brandon let out a breath before making his way into his sister's' room, sitting on top of Mariana's bed and crossing his legs.

"Hey bud." No reply. Not that he had expected any. If it weren't for the occasional raise of the covers, indicating his brother's shallow breaths, he would have thought that it was just a deceiving placed pillow. "It's going to be okay, we're all going to be okay."

Nothing. Brandon tugged at the sleeves of his sweater, waiting for another moment in case the younger boy wanted to say anything.

"Okay, well, we're all downstairs," he said quietly, lowering his feet back down to the floor. "Mom's gave me money so I'm gonna order some pizza. You might wanna hurry before Jesus eats it all."

It was a bit of a cheap shot. Food was probably the last thing on Jude's mind. Brandon took one last look at him, head buried under the sheets, before he rose to his feet and left him in peace. From the landing he could hear conversation downstairs, it was quiet and sparse but it was something.

_You have to be a big brother. You have to be there for them. _Brandon thought as he made his way back down the stairs. Jesus was eight levels deep and Mariana was scrolling through her phone. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Though it was one of those moments that you knew if you were to look closer, things wouldn't be quite right. Jesus was unfocused, his eyes almost seemed to be staring far beyond the television screen, his finger movements were sluggish and not well thought out. Far different from his usually level of expertise. Mariana was scrolling mindlessly, one arm hugging her tucked in legs tightly. Usually she would be huffing and puffing, making comments about who wore what better, but instead pictures zoomed past her eyes and she barely took notice. _You have to be a big brother._

"Guys, we can't do this," Brandon said almost too loudly and both heads shot up. "We can't go visit Callie and pretend everything's okay and then come home and mope about like she's never going to come home. She's going to be fine."

"You don't know that," Mariana replied and her eyes drifted back down to her cell phone.

"Yes," he replied quickly, walking over and pressing the television's power button - earning a half-hearted protest from his brother. "I do. If anyone can pull through this then it's Callie. There's gotta come a point where we do too. We have to pull it together, if not for her then for moms. If not for moms then for us. We can't just sit around and feel sorry for ourselves."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Jesus placed his controller on the table and stood up to face his older brother.

"We just have to get on with it," they both looked into each other's eyes for a moment before the younger boy nodded slightly and walked past into the kitchen.

"We could make her some cards and a poster for when she comes home?" Mariana spoke suddenly, dragging her eyes upwards and Brandon's head shot around to her.

"That's perfect."

"Really?" her eyebrows lowered into a frown,

"She'll love it," Brandon smiled slightly as he answered her and she smiled back.

Mariana followed in her twin's path and Brandon walked closely behind her, reaching down to his back pocket to grab his own phone.

"Pizza or Chinese?" he asked, though he was already sure what the answer would be, dialling the number.

"Pizza," they replied in unison as they both took a seat across from each other on the island. How did he guess.

"Where's Jude?" Mariana said suddenly as Brandon moved next to them.

"He's up in Callie's bed," his mind drifted back to his younger brother. He wasn't going to disturb him when he was like this. It would cause more harm than good. Jude had been quiet the whole way home and even at the hospital. Brandon had noticed the way that he had been sitting - so close that it was almost as if he were glued to the older girl, petrified that at any moment she might just vanish into thin air. "We should just give him some space."

They twins nodded in unison. Even in the worst of situations Brandon still found it creepy how in sync they could both be. He thought back to the hospital when Mariana began to tell Jesus her plans, watching her lips move tirelessly. He wanted to be there right now. He was sure that everyone else did too but their mothers had been persistent as per usual. Insisting that though things were changing, they didn't want them to spend their summer waiting around in a hospital. It wouldn't be waiting around though. He would cherish every second that he got to spend with Callie as though they were the last moments that they were ever going to spend with each other.

A part of him understood though. This was the crazy part of the whole process. The endless tests and doctors were constant for now. Maybe spending half of his day in a hospital for her was just enough for right now. He was grateful for those hours at least.

* * *

Stef's fingers traced over Callie's blue brace lightly though she wasn't paying attention to her actions.. Her glasses were perched on the end of her nose and her laptop on her lap. Lena, on the other hand, was at the opposite side of the bed with her head leaning heavily on her fist - catching up on the much needed minutes of sleep that she had lost. The brunette teenager was lying with her eyes closed though she wasn't asleep like her mother. She had soon replaced Jesus' more energetic music with Brandon's classical choices, after asking the blonde to help her put the earphones in.

It was soothing. The pain medication was doing wonders.

_If this is how junkies feel then it wouldn't be so bad,_ she smiled at her own words, knowing what either of the women would have to say to her if she said it out loud. She was trying to focus though. She wasn't on the euphoric high and it wasn't the calm that had surrounded her before. She just felt good.

Callie recognised the song that had been playing. She had watched Brandon play it before, it was one of his favourites. It had become one of her favourites. As the final note rang out she felt it. It was only slight, she had almost missed it.

"Mom?" Stef's voice shot up. Callie's voice was barely more than a whisper but it resonated in the blonde's ears like a shout.

"Yeah Love?" she replied quickly, closing the lid of the computer and sitting up straight. She brought her glasses away from her eyes and rested them on top of her head. "What's wrong?"

"I think," Callie stopped for a moment, letting out a deep breath. "I think I can feel my feet."

"Really?" Stef smiled slightly and tightened her grip on the teenagers hand. "Should I go get the doctor or wake Momma?"

Callie glanced over to her other mother. She hadn't stirred at all since their conversation had begun. Her face was fixed into a permanent frown, her eyebrows scrunched low towards her eyes. Stef couldn't help but think it was cute.

"No," she shook her head slightly, as much as her stiff neck would allow. "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything, Love."

"The doctor did this thing this morning," Callie trailed off. Stef couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt as her daughter spoke. She should have been there. She should have been there, holding her hand and taking note of every little thing that the doctor said to her. "Can you just like push against my feet?"

"Okay," Stef pulled her glasses back down and stood up quietly, moving to the end of the bed and gently placing her hand over the teenagers feet and pushing. She looked up to Callie and the brunette nodded. "Like this?"

"Can you feel me pushing back?" Callie almost laughed. "Can you feel it?"

"Yes, I can feel it. I can feel it," Stef grinned. Before she could say anything else she heard Lena stir beside them, rubbing her eyes and stretching an arm above her head. "Hey."

"Hey," Lena smiled sleepily.

Stef moved over to her, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. She was ready to tell her what had just happened, ready to make the ever-growing smile stretch even further across her cheeks. Before she could even open her mouth to speak however, a loud voice interrupted her - booming through the corridor outside of the hospital room.

"Where's my daughter?" the familiar voice half-shouted. "Callie Jacob?"

Stef left quickly. Callie barely had enough time to move her neck back around to watch her, wincing slightly at the movement. Lena followed swiftly behind her, shooting an apologetic smile in her daughter's direction. She wanted to protest - shout at them not to go anywhere - but they couldn't just hide away and pretend that Robert wasn't there at all.

"What...doing...here?" Callie could hear snippets of their conversation, attempting to lip read through the window as best she could. Her father's movements were dramatic, arms flailing and fingers pointing. His grey speckled hair was messier than usual. Dark, circles under his eyes shining out.

"My daughter...Unfit mother," she watched his lips move again as he shouted the words. She had to look away. If it were any other time she would have gotten up there and then, probably would have ended up pushing him away or using some choice words. Instead she was confined to her bed, unable to appreciate the small victory that she had only just achieved.

She watched as the older man pushed past Stef, though she tried to block him with her own hands. As the door opened Robert almost fell through, the blonde following closely behind him - clutching her injured hand in the other, a pained expression taking over her face.

"Callie," he said breathlessly, moving towards her to sit down on the chair at her left side.

"I don't want you here," she replied as soon as he had gotten the last letter out.

"You're my daughter Callie, I'm not going anywhere," he smiled, unfazed by her words. Lena and Stef stood on her other side, jaws clenched as they watched Robert reach for her hand. Callie pulled it away before he could touch her and he glanced towards the women. "I'm not leaving you with them again, they've done enough."

"Robert I think you should leave," Lena said calmly but he ignored her words.

"I'm going to fix everything, I know some of the best doctors in the city, I can make this right."

"No," Callie frowned and a confused expression took over his face completely. He tilted his head questioningly and she spoke again. "You don't get to just come here and take over because things are getting difficult. You certainly don't get to say all those things to my moms and expect me to be okay with it."

"I'm your father Callie, I'm supposed to be protective and look after you," he started again. "They did this to you. I'm the one that has to pick up the pieces."

"If you want to be my father then maybe you should start acting like it," Callie glanced towards her mothers quickly before continuing. "Where were you when I went into surgery? Where were you earlier when I got out?"

"Nobody called me."

"Maybe that's because it's none of your business," Callie spat out. "You don't get to come here and call the shots. You don't get to come here and act like my family are the enemy."

Robert nodded slightly and lowered his head, looking down at his lap and avoiding the teenager's hard gaze. Stef couldn't help but let a tiny smile escape her lips as she listened.

"I'm sorry." Robert said quietly. "I just..."

"I'm sorry too," Callie cut him off. "I want you to go."

He didn't say anything else. Pushing himself up against each of the arm rests, Robert took three slow steps towards the door - looking back towards her at the last moment as though he expected her to change her mind but she looked away from his eyes immediately. As soon as he was gone Callie let out a deep sigh.

"No more drama please."

"Have we told you how truly and unbelievably proud we are of you Callie," Stef leaned down carefully and placed a kiss against her daughter's forehead.

**Drama drama drama. Thanks for reading, tell me what you want to see next please and remember I'm always open to criticism. I hope you liked the chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as they had all decided on a plan, the three teenagers immediately began to organise. Well, Mariana had began to organise. Brandon's creativity started and ended very suddenly with music and Jesus, while this had been going on, was only concerned about one thing and one thing only. Food. Or rather, the lack of food.

Mariana left the kitchen swiftly. She had decided that before the went any further, the most sensible thing to do would be to gather up all of their supplies. Running upstairs and straight into her room, the Latina had almost completely forgotten that her youngest brother was right there with her. She hadn't realised just how loud her booming footsteps had been or how the echoed through the house when her shoes made contact with the wooden floorboards. She had to stop herself from humming too when she noticed herself doing it, the top 40 hit slipping out unconsciously. It wasn't until she had heard the slight rustle of the duvet moving on Callie's bed that she stopped dead, noticing the sheets shift a little out of the corner of her eye.

Her head had whipped around almost painfully quickly. It was silent after that. There were no footsteps. No humming. No rustle. Mariana looked to the small lump that was resting on top of her sister's bed - her gazing lingering for longer than she intended. She didn't even know what she was supposed to say. Her mind couldn't think of the right words and nothing even attempted to escape past her parted lips. She didn't even know where to start.

As though nothing had happened at all, the teenager continued on her journey. Crouching down to her knees she quickly and quietly reached out, slipping a hand underneath her bed. She was trying not to disturb Jude - rummaging as much as she could and trying not to be noisy. Her little brother wouldn't even care. He didn't acknowledge her in the slightest.

Pulling out exactly what she had been looking for, Mariana looked down at the bright pink box. It lit up the room immediately with it's brightness, contrasting the dark atmosphere that had formed around the siblings. Mariana hated it. It made her feel sick - an awful nausea rising from deep down in her stomach. Callie would have hated it too, but only because the older girl hated the colour itself. She would love that they spent so much time making something special for her though.

Hoisting the large box up onto her bed, Mariana did her best not to let the thick pile of paper that rested on top fall onto the bedroom floor. She winced slightly at the weight, the edges of the box leaving imprints on her palms. If anything she was lucky that she had spent so much time with Lexi now, making bake sale posters and Homecoming tickets whenever they were needed. It all seemed so pointless now though, like it never really mattered. Callie was what mattered now. Mariana wasn't sure if arts and crafts was a blessing or a curse.

Grabbing onto her new-found supplies again, she couldn't help but stop at the door. She didn't want to leave.

"Jude..." Mariana's voice came out as barely more than a whisper. She had had to force the words out despite the protestations from her tongue. It felt swollen and thick in her mouth. She almost sounded scared. She wasn't scared. Clearing her throat slightly, she thought back to the speech that Brandon had given them only minutes earlier. Big sister mode. "We're all hurting right now, okay? This is hard for all of us. You can't just lie there and play the victim, it's not doing anyone any good. Not us, not you, not Callie. So you can stay up here and feel sorry for yourself or you can come back downstairs with me and help making an awesome 'welcome home' poster for our sister."

The covers rustled again momentarily. A small hand emerged slowly from underneath the duvet, pulling it back to unveil his red, tear soaked face. "Her pillow smells like her. I don't want to get up because it feels like she's never going to come back to me."

"She's going to come back Judicorn, she's getting better every minute," Mariana said, moving closer to him and taking a seat on the bed. She placed the box down carefully at her feet and leaned over, giving him a tight hug. "We're all going to be okay."

The younger boy sniffed a few more times. Mariana was sure that she was going to have snot all over the shoulder of her hoodie but for once she didn't even care. Letting go of him, the older girl offered a small smile and Jude returned it.

* * *

"I don't think that I could possibly be more proud of you at this very moment Love," Stef repeated, gushing down at her daughter on the bed. Callie smiled slightly at her words and looked over to her other mother. Lena's expression mimicked the blonde's exactly, their smiles identically wide. "You handled that very maturely."

"So you keep saying," the teenager laughed slightly.

"Mom's right Cal, you never fail to amaze us."

The younger girl didn't say anything at all this time. She felt sick to her stomach. Their smiles were making her nauseous. How could they be proud of her? She had just said all of those things to her father. Her father had said all of those things to her. Her mothers too. She knew that that this wasn't going to be an easy ride but she didn't recall signing up for the constant drama. If she had to put up with this non-stop while she recovered then Callie wasn't sure if she would be able to cope. If she recovered that is.

"I think I'm gonna-"

She could even finish her sentence in time before she felt it rising up her throat. It burned like hell. Tipping her head over the side of the bed to face the floor, the miniscule amount of whatever had filled her stomach emptied themselves onto the ground until she was left dry heaving. Even when there was nothing left to come out she couldn't stop. Her brain wouldn't listen.

"You're okay Love."

"I'll go grab the doctor."

The voices spoke at the same time. Callie could barely even tell the difference between them. They shared the same quietly anxious tone. The tone that her mothers tended to use when they didn't want her to know that they were both panicking. Their plan hadn't worked at all.

The blonde had begun to stroke her hair lightly, pulling it away from her eyes and her mouth. Her other hand rubbed the space between her shoulder blades gently in an attempt to provide any comfort she could. The teenager leaned back again, resting her head against the pillow and attempting to catch her breath. She was doing her best to ignore te pain shooting down her back with each inhale and exhale.

"Callie," the voice was different this time. It didn't share the worriedness of the two older woman. The doctor's voice was a welcome change but she couldn't bring herself to even open her eyes and look at him. "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?"

"Hey!" Lena's attempt to scold her failed miserably. The doctor shook his head in reply.

"Don't worry about it. She's had a rough ride for the past couple of days. I'll let it slide," he said with a smile, moving over to check the teenager's vitals. His joking was comforting. "i think that it's all just been a little too much too soon for her. You have to try and take it easy for the next few days Callie, okay?"

"Is that it?" Lena questioned, wrapping a hand quickly around one of Callie's own and squeezing it lightly before continuing. "There's nothing wrong."

"Nothing. You're daughter is a fighter. She's going to get through all of this," he said with another small smile. "Just give it time. Until then I recommend that you maybe limit your visitors. Especially those who may cause a scene. And I'm going to give you something a little stronger for the pain. It might make you a little drowsy though."

"No," the teenager said suddenly. "I can deal with the pain. I can feel my feet. It's just a tiny bit but I don't want to lose it. Please."

**Thanks for all of the reviews and feedback. It's incredibly encouraging when you know that people actually care about what you're writing. I was thinking about timeline etc and it may not match up with the precise timeline of the show but I guess that's the freedom fanfiction gives you. So for the sake of this story, the events that are happening on the show around the time of the trip are accurate to an extent. I'm setting this at Spring Break, so that as I wrote the kids worry about getting back to school. So the crash happened on the first Saturday and this is the next day.**

**Thanks for reading. I know that I'm flakey with uploading but I'm working on it!**


	12. Chapter 12

Lena hadn't even realised how long she had been sitting alone in the car. It was only when her phone lit up and caught her eye that she finally was brought back to reality. _9:57pm. _The time had drifted past her slowly until all at once it came to a crashing halt and she remember just where she was and what she was supposed to have been doing. The light from the street lamps above her head glowed orange. It illuminated every surface of the car with soft beams of light and covered her body in colour. She couldn't believe that it had been 45 minutes since she had left the hospital - if the time on her phone was anything to go by - and 20 of those had been wasted by sitting in the same spot staring into space.

It had been an unbelievably long day. Well, it had been a long weekend. It was going to be an even longer month. After that however? Lena didn't want to think that far ahead.

She decided not to leave until Callie had totally fallen asleep, waiting until the teeanger had drifted off completely before she made a move and drove back home to the other kids. Stef had been falling in and out of consciousness in the chair next to their daughter as well - eyelids struggling to stay open - though no amount of persisting or debating could have enticed the blonde to move even an inch further away from Callie than where she was. One of the nurses had even been nice enough to bring Stef a makeshift cot so that she would be more comfortable without having to sleep in the same awkward position all night.

Lena had laughed. That was all that Stef needed, more encouragement.

She had wanted to stay with them both. In truth, she never wanted to leave Callie's side ever again at least until she was safely in her 30's. The thought of her leaving for college made Lena's heart ache, she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her. It was unrealistic that it would ever happen but she couldn't help but wish that she could just take her daughter in her arms, fix everything that had gone wrong and never let her go again. Bubble wrap her and love her forever and ever. So even if it were just for one night, leaving Callie in the hospital was painful.

The only thing that was keeping her going was seeing the other kids.

Lena reached for the car door handle, grabbing her purse from the seat next to her before she stepped out of the vehicle. The thump of the door slamming shut caused her to jump slightly, the noise echoing in her head as she stood silently in the drive. Everything had been so quiet before now; she hadn't even turning on the radio during the drive home. It was just her and the thoughts that were swirling around and around in her mind the whole time. She almost dreaded walking into the hustle and bustle of the house, at least that was as long as things were semi-normal. As much as she didn't want the noise, she hoped to God that her children were doing okay after everything. One emotionally scarred child was enough for her right now.

The house was locked. At least one thing that she had said after all these years had sunk into the kid's brains. Lena had always had a habit of locking the door whenever everyone was in the house. It was more of a fear that something would happen when it was unlocked - like she would be making dinner and a stranger would sneak in and murder her whole family. It was a completely irrational fear and now it just felt stupid. Rustling around in her bag for her keys was a pain in the ass.

When the brunette finally managed to get into the house she couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight. It was like a glitter covered war zone that had set itself up right in the middle of her house. They had been up to something for sure, but it was quiet. She dropped her bag by the side of the door and slipped her feet out of her shoes. This was one of the only times that Lena didn't care about the mess that she was making. All she wanted was to see her family and go for a long, steaming hot shower.

Her oldest son appeared in front of her eyes suddenly, pizza boxes in one hand and a tower of glasses in the other. By the looks of this he was the only one of the brood that was actually still awake. It was surprising given how early it was but Lena was glad to see them so peaceful. Mariana was lying on the couch with her head on Jesus's lap. The older of the twins was lying upright with one hand supporting his head and the other draped over his sister, snoring slightly. Jude was lying on a blow up mattress on the floor, the table having been moved away to make way for it. He was curled up in a tight ball under what looked like Callie's duvet.

"I guess you guys had a busy night?" Lena smiled slightly and brushed her hair away from her eyes with her left hand. Brandon could see the exhaustion in her eyes and he was glad that he had started to clear up before she had gotten home. At least that way it looked like he was doing something and not leaving it all to pile up just because there were no adults to keep the kids in check. Not to mention the fact that he wanted to help his moms out as much as possible while Callie was recovering.

"It's a banner for when Callie comes home," he replied, gesturing with his head to the table that they had been working on. "Everyone was just sitting around. I had to get them to do something."

"You did good, B, serious big brother points," Lena reached up on her tiptoes and places a kiss on his forehead before following him into the kitchen. He placed the boxes on the table and the glasses in the sink, immediately running the faucet to get some hot water going. "So how is everyone doing?"

"They're doing okay. As well as could be expected anyway," Brandon said as he began to wash what little dishes there were. "Jesus is just staying strong for Mariana's sake. She's pretty distraught but she's trying not to let it show."

"It's always the same story with them," she replied and he nodded slightly in agreement. "What about Jude?"

Brandon hesitated before answering. Lena would be lying if she said that didn't worry her at all. "He's not doing as well as them. We just have to give him some time, it was hard for him to see her like that. I mean she'd been in and out of hospitals when they were younger but I guess that he just thought that would never happen here."

"I noticed he had Callie's duvet?"

"Yeah. It took Mariana a while to convince him to even get out of bed and come downstairs for food. He just brought that down with him and he's been holding onto it for dear life ever since."

Lena sighed and ran her fingers through her hair again. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," he replied before turning to look at the older woman. "I have to stay strong for everyone."

"You don't have to do anything B," she smiled comfortingly. "You're allowed to be hurting too."

"I am hurting. I just want her to be okay but it's Callie. If any of us can get through this then you know as well as I do that it's her."

"You got that right," Lena said quietly and took a few steps towards her son. "When did you become so grown up?"

Brandon scoffed as he dried his hands. The brunette pulled him into a hug, holding onto him for a few more seconds that she normally would have.

"Love you." he said as she let him go.

"Love you too," she replied. "Be sure to get some rest. I don't want you up all night okay?"

"I know, I know."

"I'm gonna go for a shower, I'll probably end up down here with you guys but if I don't I'll see you in the morning," Lena said and glanced at her son one final time before she left the kitchen. "Night."

"Night."

**It's been too long I know - please don't kill me. So this was more of a short Lena/Brandon chapter. Kinda a filler but I have some pretty big ideas about where I want this story to go. So, as always, feel free to leave me any constructive criticism or ideas that you have and remember that my PM's are always open. I'm getting back into writing so look out for updates :) **


	13. Chapter 13

Callie groaned. The sound of a loud knock at the door reached her ears and shook her from her sleep, forcing her squinting eyes to tackle the light of her room. Ever since the accident she had struggled to get a decent sleep and it didn't feel like it was coming any time soon. She had expected it, given all that had happened, but Callie knew that sleep was the only thing she would get to enjoy in this hospital - without it the building was hell on earth. It didn't even matter that she was doped up on pain medication half the time, nothing helped her restlessness. There was a little button by her hand that she was allowed to press whenever she needed some relief but the teenager was pretty sure that she had more than maxed it out by now.

The brunette tried to close her eyes again with the hope that maybe the nose was nothing more than just a figment of her imagination or a creation by her tired mind, and that it would go away just as quickly as it had come. Of course, she was mistaken.

"Um, Callie?"

Her eyes shot open immediately. If it had been anyone else's voice she would have been grateful that she wasn't going crazy but instead a small sense of panic began to rise in her chest. It lingered as she licked her lips, her brain searching for the right words to say.

"Sophia?" Callie asked quietly, her voice coming out as barely more than a whisper. She could hardly even move her head to look to the door. Even now, her neck was as stiff as the day she had been brought in. Any hope of seeing her sister before she came into view was lost so instead the older girl listened intently, hoping that she would only hear one set of footsteps walking towards her bed.

"You don't have anything to worry about. My dad - our dad - didn't come with me," Sophia replied. Her voice was no louder than Callie's own had been. As the younger girl came into view, Callie couldn't deny that fact that she looked far better than she had the last time that they had seen each other. Sophia seemed mature. Not that she hadn't been mature before - she just looked somewhat less likely to be walking out in front of oncoming traffic. "I know what he did and I'm really sorry. Not that it makes a difference. He just really cares about you."

"You shouldn't be here," Callie replied without hesitation, ignoring the last part of what her sister had said. Callie couldn't help but let images of the previous day flood her mind; images of what Robert had said to her family. If he really cared about her then he wouldn't have acted the way that he did. "Who even brought you here?"

"My mom is waiting downstairs for me," Sophia said with a small smile, hoping that it would help the older girl shed some of the hostility she was radiating. It faded quickly when Callie didn't return it. "I just had to see you. I couldn't sleep knowing what happened. I mean, I knew you were okay because you were here but still, I couldn't help but worry."

"Well, you've seen me now so you can leave. Go back to your own life and make sure your father doesn't cross the line into mine's," Callie snapped. She had to stop herself from raising her voice when the blonde woman next to her caught her eye. She didn't want to wake Stef up and cause any more drama.

"I know. You're totally right. I'm sorry," the younger girl shook her head as she spoke, turning back to the door that she had walked through moments earlier. "I'll go."

Callie hesitated. In the few seconds between Sophia walking away from her bed, her head hanging low, and reaching for the handle of the door, Callie couldn't help but let a nagging sense of guilt engulf her when she thought about leaving things the way that they were. She knew that her sister's words would replay over and over in her head and she wouldn't forgive herself for not giving her a chance. Callie groaned and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Stop. It's fine. You came all this way for me, you should stay. I shouldn't have been such a bitch."

"Okay," Sophia's looked back to Callie, smiling slightly though she was unsure if the older girl was being genuine. Callie could tell though that despite it, Sophia was still stopping herself from letting it grow into a full blown grin.

Callie took a deep breath. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing a lot better I guess. I'm in therapy right now which kind of sucks but it helps," Sophia nodded. "I guess I have you to thank for it all though."

"You don't have to thank me for anything," Callie shook her head as much as her neck would allow it, wincing slightly at the movement. Maybe Sophia was right. If she hadn't have told Robert and Jill then she might have tried something stupid again. Maybe Sophia would be the one lying in the hospital bed instead of her.

A few moments passed between them. Sophia looked down to the floor, playing with the buttons on her denim jacket before her head shot up again. "So, I think that my mom and dad are going to get a divorce."

"Oh."

"Yeah," she replied. "My dad was having an affair or something and I guess with everything that had happened with me and you coming into the picture, they were already under some stress. I mean, it's not your fault at all. I'm not trying to blame you or anything Callie."

"I know," Callie said and reached a hand out towards her. "I'm sorry, for you, but the way Robert acted towards my family yesterday...he's your dad. Not my dad."

"I know," Callie said as the younger girl rambled on, reaching a hand out towards her. "I'm sorry that this is happening to you but I'm not sorry about _your_ dad. The way he acted towards my family yesterday isn't the sort of thing you forgive easily."

Sophia frowned. "But you're my family. You're my sister."

"I'll always be your sister Sophia. Always," "Just not in the way that you want me to be."

"I'll always be your sister Sophia, always," Callie offered her a smile as she spoke. "Just not in the way that you want me to be. We're never going to have that perfect life together with the perfect home and family, but what we do have together is great."

"I know," Sophia mumbled.

Before Callie could say anything else, the sound of movement caused both girls' eyes to flicker to the other side of the bed - meeting Stef's confused glare as she sat up.

"Sophia, wh-" Stef said, wiping sleep from her eyes are they darted around the room in search of any trace of Robert. "You shouldn't be here."

"It's okay," Callie assured her but the older woman shook her head.

"I don't think that this is appropriate. Sorry, Sophia but -"

"I'm just going," she cut her off, letting go of Callie's hand. "I have an appointment soon anyway. Bye Cal."

"I'll call you," Callie replied and watched as her younger sister walked out of the room before turning to the blonde. "It's not her fault. You didn't have to speak to her like that."

* * *

Lena was beginning to wish that she'd let Brandon clean the rest of the mess up before they had went to bed. Somehow there was still glitter everywhere and regardless of the fact that she had gone for a shower, not to mention how she had avoided the area like the plague, Lena felt like it was all over her. It was worse than leftover sand in your shoes after coming home from the beach - even when you're sure it's all gone, it comes back to haunt you.

The one thing that she was grateful for, however, was how keen her kids were to help out. She felt bad taking advantage but it was only the little things and doing those things ended up turning into a family bonding experience of sorts. Watching the twins and Brandon fuss over making breakfast for everyone while her hands were wrapped around a piping hot mug of tea was fast becoming one of her favourite pass times.

"Why can't I do it?" Jesus whined as Mariana pulled the carton of eggs away from her brother's reach.

"Dude, we can barely trust you not to burn the toast," Brandon smirked as he grabbed a few plates from the shelf.

"Crap," Jesus mumbled, half-running back over to the toaster as Lena tutted at his language. Some things would never change.

The sound of a knock at the door was the only thing that brought the family out of their bizarre rhythm.

"I'll get it," Brandon replied quickly, hopping up the stairs and out of the kitchen before anyone else could react. The weren't expecting anyone. Especially not at this time. Especially not Lou.

"Hey," she said, smiling. It wasn't often that Brandon got to see that smile these days and ordinarily it would have cheered him up, just not today.

"Hey," he replied. She waited for a second, expecting him to continue or invite her in but instead he paused awkwardly. "What's up?"

"I just thought I would come round and see how you are," Lou nodded.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine I guess," he said. "All things considered."

"Yeah, I figured. I would have called but it made more sense to come around. We have some shows coming up so -"

Brandon's smile turned quickly into a frown. "You're kidding right?"

Lou frowned back. "Kidding about what?"

"My sister and my mom almost died a few days ago and you come to my house asking about gigs."

"I know that, Brandon, but there are other members in this band too. You're whole life shouldn't get put on hold for -"

"For what? For Callie who may well be paralysed? For my family who are trying not to fall apart?" he shook his head. "Funny how Mat isn't here with you, knocking on my door."

"I just -"

"Save it, Lou. I have to go. Have a nice day," Brandon said, closing the door. He didn't care if it was rude and he didn't care if Lou was left standing there confused and hurt. It didn't matter.

"What was that all about, B?" Lena's voice called from the kitchen and the teenager began to walk back towards it.

"Nothing, just had to remind someone that family comes first," he replied. "We should probably get on with breakfast so we can get to the hospital early."

**As you can probably tell - I'm not Lou's hugest fan. I actually really don't like her at all, woops. In case anyone is confused about the timeline of this story we're way back in season 2. I guess that's my fault for being so inconsistent about the uploads but regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. Let me know what you think in the reviews. Catch you on the flip side :)**


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